The question is often asked - why do we, as Steampunks, often choose to present the facade of the Victorian/Edwardian upper or middle classes? Well, the obvious answer is it's much nicer to wear lovely clothes than soot and poo stained rags . However, if you wish to see how the Victorian other half lived (or would that be other 60%, 70%... 80%?) BBC2 have a new historical reality show The Victorian Slum. Transmission is next Monday, 9pm I think. From the trailer I think the team who brought us The Victorian Farm etc. are involved, although I only caught the end of it so I may be wrong on that.

Yours,Miranda.

P.S. Something else for those people with access to the All4 Channel 4 catch-up service - the irrepressible Guy Martin, in an episode from a couple of weeks ago of his series Speed With... tried to fly a pedal-powered airship across the English channel.

I saw the trailer for this, which said that they were recreating the conditions of the Victorian slums - does that mean that those taking part will be getting typhoid, typhus and cholera? How about some lice and fleas too? I wonder just how far the participants are willing to go for historical accuracy .....

Logged

You have to tread a fine line between avant-garde surrealism and getting yourself sectioned...

Lovely... Not. Child labour perhaps? I'm imagining a Dickensian scenario here. Even for educational purposes, would subjecting children to those conditions of illness, malnutrition and labour be legal? I don't care how acurate you want to be, I'd never volunteer for a job like that.

Child labour perhaps? I'm imagining a Dickensian scenario here. Even for educational purposes, would subjecting children to those conditions of illness, malnutrition and labour be legal?

Not legal but immensely satisfying nevertheless.

Actually the write-up about it does mention the children complaining as they 'spend their days gluing matchboxes together and their nights (hungry) three to a bed' (Quote from 'Radio Times 8-14 October')

Child labour perhaps? I'm imagining a Dickensian scenario here. Even for educational purposes, would subjecting children to those conditions of illness, malnutrition and labour be legal?

Not legal but immensely satisfying nevertheless.

Actually the write-up about it does mention the children complaining as they 'spend their days gluing matchboxes together and their nights (hungry) three to a bed' (Quote from 'Radio Times 8-14 October')

The Great British Bake-off series was sold.....they got rid of essential players.

Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins and Mary Berry apparently all chose not to follow the production to Channel 4. I do expect, in due course, the Beeb to announce an entirely unrelated show involving heating mixtures of flour, milk, butter, egg and sundry other ingredients which, just by pure chance, will happen to have these individuals in it.

Next we will develop a reality TV show reproducing Roman Britain and/or Europe including (but not limited to) real gladiatorial games, slavery and crucifixions. All the while live audiences will be provided with wine sweetened with lead, and public sanitation facilities, featuring al-fresco toilets and sponges soaked in vinegar instead of toilet paper... Fun stuff!

Next we will develop a reality TV show reproducing Roman Britain and/or Europe including (but not limited to) real gladiatorial games, slavery and crucifixions. All the while live audiences will be provided with wine sweetened with lead, and public sanitation facilities, featuring al-fresco toilets and sponges soaked in vinegar instead of toilet paper... Fun stuff!

Next we will develop a reality TV show reproducing Roman Britain and/or Europe including (but not limited to) real gladiatorial games, slavery and crucifixions. All the while live audiences will be provided with wine sweetened with lead, and public sanitation facilities, featuring al-fresco toilets and sponges soaked in vinegar instead of toilet paper... Fun stuff!

Will await with interest to see if the ABC or SBS pick it up. Actually, they could probably do an Antipodean version using the vile slums of Victorian era Sydney or Melbourne, and add the intolerable summer heat to the burdens of city slum dwellers!

To quote a famous Australian poet: "I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingyRay of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty cityThrough the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattleOf the tramways and the 'buses making hurry down the street,And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt meAs they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste."

Our Australian friend has given I Spira tion for a joint bbc/ channel 7 reality series on the life of the transported convict. The trial, wait on the prison hulks, the horrid rancid journey to Botany bay, the famine and rations on shore, hostile natives . The heat, hunger, hard labour flogging and dodging the insatiable attentions of naval crew and military men - for both genders

Add in our friend the flogging parson, Samuel Marsden, the NSW Corps (aka The Rum Corps), John Macarthur, and mutiny and we'd have a certain hit. Although I don't think channel 7 would do it justice - needs the ABC for government corruption, blood and misery!

The BBC made a series drama called 'Banished' using this setting. I only watched a few bits of it but there did seem to be a lot of heaving bosoms, evil authority figures and noble common folk (well it was written by Jimmy McGovern). The only actor I can recall from it is Myanna Burling, who plays Long Susan in 'Ripper Street'.

Child labour perhaps? I'm imagining a Dickensian scenario here. Even for educational purposes, would subjecting children to those conditions of illness, malnutrition and labour be legal?

Not legal but immensely satisfying nevertheless.

Actually the write-up about it does mention the children complaining as they 'spend their days gluing matchboxes together and their nights (hungry) three to a bed' (Quote from 'Radio Times 8-14 October')

The Great British Bake-off series was sold.....they got rid of essential players.

Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins and Mary Berry apparently all chose not to follow the production to Channel 4. I do expect, in due course, the Beeb to announce an entirely unrelated show involving heating mixtures of flour, milk, butter, egg and sundry other ingredients which, just by pure chance, will happen to have these individuals in it.

Yours,Miranda.

The Great Victorian Bakeoff....Oh wait they did that.Maybe have the Actress who plays Victoria in the ITV series of the same name will be interesting.

Add in our friend the flogging parson, Samuel Marsden, the NSW Corps (aka The Rum Corps), John Macarthur, and mutiny and we'd have a certain hit. Although I don't think channel 7 would do it justice - needs the ABC for government corruption, blood and misery!

Samuel Marsden made his presence felt here in the mission. I can picture a red face with perspiration flying off his brow.

Add in our friend the flogging parson, Samuel Marsden, the NSW Corps (aka The Rum Corps), John Macarthur, and mutiny and we'd have a certain hit. Although I don't think channel 7 would do it justice - needs the ABC for government corruption, blood and misery!

Samuel Marsden made his presence felt here in the mission. I can picture a red face with perspiration flying off his brow.

The BBC made a series drama called 'Banished' using this setting. I only watched a few bits of it but there did seem to be a lot of heaving bosoms, evil authority figures and noble common folk (well it was written by Jimmy McGovern). The only actor I can recall from it is Myanna Burling, who plays Long Susan in 'Ripper Street'.

I enjoyed that series It's currently available on Netflix.It's just a shame it wasn't popular enough to get a 2nd series.

Other well known character actors in it included Ewen Bremner ('Trainspotting'), Russell Tovey ('Being Human'), Ned Dennehy ('Peaky Blinders'), Julian Rhind-Tutt, Orla Brady and a whole bunch of people were you go ''Hang on, I know that face. What were they in?''....